1. FMD outbreak reported in Botswana
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| Area in red, Maun (Ngamiland area) |
Dr. Kgogeitsile Phillemon-Motsu, Director of the country's Veterinary Services Department, issued a notification to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) on 12 June 2012, stating that 56 animals tested positive for the disease. According to the report the area is home to some 280 000 head of cattle, which are routinely vaccinated every 4 months with a trivalent SAT 1,2 and 3 vaccine. "The reoccurance of the disease was detected after poor vaccination coverage following flooding of the area, which made some animals inaccessible for vaccination Contact with infected animal(s) at grazing and/or watering points has been identified as the main source of the outbreak"
Apart from the control fences around Ngamiland, the zone is further subdivided into four subsonzones (2a, 2b, 2c and 2d) by internal disease control barriers. Exstensive surveillance following the outbreak has confirmed that only cattle from subzone 2d were affected. No deaths were reported, and no animals were destroyed.
"As an FMD control zone, no movement of cloven-hoofed animals and their derived products and other FMD risk material have been allowed out of the zone, therefore the outbreak does not affect the status of FMD free zones. There are established biosecurity check points at points of exit from the zone", reported Dr. Phillemon-Motsu
2. FAO, OIE reveal strategy to control FMD (AgriForum, Jul 2012)
2. FAO, OIE reveal strategy to control FMD (AgriForum, Jul 2012)
BANGKOK – The Food and
Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organisation
for Animal Health (OIE) released a strategy to control foot-and-mouth (FMD)
disease on a global scale. The announcement came during an international
meeting of these two organisations in Bangkok, Thailand.
The global strategy combines two tools: the Performance of Veterinary Services
Pathway and the Progressive Control Pathway for foot-and-mouth disease
(PCP-FMD). PVS evaluates national veterinary services with the aim of bringing
them into compliance with OIE quality standards. The PCP-FMD guides countries
through a series of incremental steps to better manage FMD risks, beginning
with active surveillance to establish what types of FMD virus strains are
circulating in the country and neighbouring areas.
“One main objective of the Global Strategy is to allow FMD control worldwide through the strengthening of veterinary services responsible for animal disease control,” said Bernard Vallat, OIE Director-general. “Positive effects of the strategy will extend far beyond the control of FMD because it represents an opportunity to initiate long-term actions which will enhance veterinary services' capacity to fight other high-impact diseases of livestock.
“At the regional level the South-East Asia and China FMD campaign (SEACFMD) programme managed by OIE/Bangkok is considered as a very efficient model,” he added.
FMD is not a threat to human health, but economic losses due to the disease have been estimated at US$5 billion annually. FMD can cause death in newborn and young animals, according to the FAO. Weight loss, reduced milk yields and lower fertility are after-effects of the disease. An animal stricken with FMD could mean economic ruin and starvation for the poorest farmers, who often depend on only a few animals for food and income. (Source: MeatPoultry.com, 29 June 2012)
“One main objective of the Global Strategy is to allow FMD control worldwide through the strengthening of veterinary services responsible for animal disease control,” said Bernard Vallat, OIE Director-general. “Positive effects of the strategy will extend far beyond the control of FMD because it represents an opportunity to initiate long-term actions which will enhance veterinary services' capacity to fight other high-impact diseases of livestock.
“At the regional level the South-East Asia and China FMD campaign (SEACFMD) programme managed by OIE/Bangkok is considered as a very efficient model,” he added.
FMD is not a threat to human health, but economic losses due to the disease have been estimated at US$5 billion annually. FMD can cause death in newborn and young animals, according to the FAO. Weight loss, reduced milk yields and lower fertility are after-effects of the disease. An animal stricken with FMD could mean economic ruin and starvation for the poorest farmers, who often depend on only a few animals for food and income. (Source: MeatPoultry.com, 29 June 2012)
3. FMB vaccine receives conditional approval
GAITHERSBURG, Md.-The US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a conditional licence for GenVec, Inc.'s foot-and-mouth disease vaccine for use in cattle, the company announced. In GenVac's case, the special circumstance was was the need for an FMD vaccine that could be manufactured in the US and that allowed for the differentiation between infected and vaccinated animals. The vaccine will now be available in the event of an FMD emergency situation, GenVec said. GenVec also announced that Merial, the animal health division of Sanofi, has the rights to develop and commercialise GenVec's FMD vaccine for use in cattle. (MeatPoultry.com, 7June, 2012)
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